Capable of Doing Anything
I’d like
to talk a little bit about God here.
Genesis 1 clearly talks about God the creator. A few chapters ago when Abraham marched out
to make war and rescue Lot God came to Abraham and was called Abraham’s
shield. Here God comes to Abraham and is
called “El Shaddai.”
We’re not
entirely sure what that means specifically in the Hebrew, but we know in
general it means “Almighty” or “One who is all-sufficient and capable of doing
anything.” Today as I read this passage
and studied it a bit I thought it was important to focus on the character of
God. When the world needed a creator, we
got one. When Abraham needed a shield,
he got one. When Abraham needed a God
who could make a 100 year old man help a barren woman conceive a child, he got
the Almighty. God is what we need when
we need him.
What Is Circumcision
I find it
remarkable here that in the place I am least looking for it I find something
for which I am desperately searching. As
I read through this chapter, I found a place where God speaks about
relationship. And in these verses, it’s
not always about “me choosing for myself.”
Let me explain a little bit below.
God calls
Abraham into the covenant of circumcision in which primarily children – but
certainly also adults – are brought into relationship with God. Certainly circumcision did not “save”
Abraham’s offspring as we heard a few chapters ago that faith is credited to
Abraham as righteousness. Furthermore, certainly
the vast majority of people throughout the ages do not choose to be circumcised
– rather, their parents choose it for them.
So what is circumcision?
It is a
promise that the parents make to bring the child up in the ways of the
Lord. It is a promise that the parents
make before God on behalf of the child.
It is a declaration that the child shall be in relationship with
God. It is certainly not a declaration
of absolute irrevocable salvation. Rather,
it is a declaration that this child will grow up hearing the promises that God
made to Abraham.
I think
this is a very significant story in terms of Christianity, our relationship,
and even baptism. The same can be said
of baptism as is said here of circumcision.
Surely water baptism does not save a person regardless of what age they
are and regardless of whether they chose it or their parents chose it for them. Salvation comes alone through God and His
promise to us is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
So what is water baptism? It is
the point in which the person being baptized is told that they are a sinner, in
need of repentance, and that in spite of their sins God loves them and sent
Jesus to offer the gift of salvation to them.
In that
respect, water baptism and circumcision have a great deal in common. Like circumcision, water baptism is not a
means to salvation. Rather, circumcision
and water baptism are both a means to a relationship with God. Salvation comes only from the shedding of
blood – specifically the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Sons of Abraham
I think
that it is important to take a good long look at Ishmael and Isaac before we
move on. It is possible to see this
passage as if God is playing favorites.
God likes Isaac better than Ishmael, right?
Actually,
this is not necessarily true. The
difference in how Isaac and Ishmael interact with God’s plan comes out of their
birth. Ishmael was the fulfillment of a
fallen human plan. Isaac is the
fulfillment of God’s plan.
Ishmael is
actually shown great love here. He is
told that he will be the father of a great many people and many princes will
come from him. God does not abandon him;
but neither does God assume that he has to be a part of God’s divinely
instituted plan to bring salvation into the world through Jesus Christ. Ishmael is a man, and if we read the words in
this chapter he is actually a man for whom God displays a great deal of
affection.
Isaac, on
the other hand, is the one who brings humanity one step closer to salvation in
the God-man of Jesus Christ. Those are
two very distinct descriptions, and they have nothing to do with the character
of the persons themselves. Rather, they
have everything to do with God’s perspective and God’s plan.
In the
end, God shows love to both Isaac and Ishmael.
The difference is that Isaac has an added layer of meaning. Isaac is God’s chosen line. Ishmael and Isaac are Abraham’s offspring and
both are loved by God regardless of how they came into existence. Yet Isaac came about because God willed
it. That makes him special – but it need
not make him special in a way that degrades Ishmael. It is special because God has added a divine
layer of importance to Isaac.
God’s Impossible Work
This makes
me think about God’s work. God knew from
the very beginning that the world was going to need a savior. God knew from the very beginning that this
savior would have to come from Himself. God
started the plan by completely removing the human element. God starts with an old man and a barren
woman. He starts with the most
precarious of events so that we all recognize that when God wants to do
something amazing, He can do it with only the smallest chance. God doesn’t need strong humans and good
odds. God can take weak people and miniscule
odds and save the world.
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